A new spring league launches next month at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Coincidentally, it’s called The Spring League. And it will feature some recognizable names right out of the gates.
Former NFL players Greg Hardy, Kellen Winslow Jr., Brandon Browner, and Ben Tate have committed to the effort, according to a press release from The Spring League. Camp opens on April 5, with a six-game schedule that will be completed before the NFL draft begins.
The games will be played on April 15, April 16, April 22, April 23, April 25, and April 26. Based on that schedule, it’s apparently a four-team league.
Owned by new West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, The Greenbrier built a football facility for the Saints in 2014. After spending three training camps there, the Saints decided to remain in Louisiana for 2017. The Texans will train there instead.
The NFL desperately needs a developmental league that gives young players (especially quarterbacks) a chance to learn via game repetitions. Since the demise of NFL Europe (which had nearly as many names as seasons it played), the league has had nothing. The Spring League will be something; the question is whether it can do enough to survive.